White College Leadership, Brace Yourself

In this piece Debby Irving, author of “Waking Up White,” addresses white professionals in positions of authority in higher education.

In this moment of crisis, you have a choice. The comfortable choice may be to double down on the strategies that got you into this position. There is little separation between the hierarchical position you are in and the position of crisis you are in. Both are born of a system and culture that leverage power to hoard resources, rights, status, and comfort for some, at the expense of others. The second choice is to embrace transformative ways of thinking and acting, starting with yourself.